I need one and was wondering if anyone has one that they would be willing to sell or let me borrow etc. Please let me know, thanks

 

Unless you're changing cam seals you don't need it. Index cylinder 3 (passenger rear cylinder) at TDC on compression and the gears won't move.

 

Well this would be my first TB job but I was under the impression that once you are in there, replace anything that could become an issue later so you don't have to rip it all apart again. That being said, I was looking at the ECS Tuning Ultimate Plus kit which does include the cam seals.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-...Timing/ES6198/

As you obviously have more experience with this than myself, would there be a reason for you to recommend NOT doing the cam seals?

I did look at the Ultimate kit which doesn't have the seals, but this only includes the tensioner roller, not the hydraulic tensioner itself. It was my understanding that many timing belt related problems were due to the failure of the hydraulic tensioner and that this should absolutely be replaced during a TB job.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-...Timing/ES2015/


I appreciate any recommendations

 

If you're still in need of the cam and crank locking tools, I have the set and would be willing to sell them.

It's a rare day when an engine doesn't need the seals replaced doing a TB. Ideally, all components should match or exceed the TB for life expectancy.

 

It's kind of a crapshoot. I don't touch cam seals unless they show signs of leakage. You won't know though until you get in there.


The problem with doing cam seals is that if you make a mistake and score the face of the cam, you can create an irreparable oil leak. *The problem you are facing is that, you don't know whether yours are leaking or not, so do you get the cam tool or not? *On one hand, if you get it and don't need it, you've spent about $180 you didn't need to spend. *On the other hand, if you don't get it, and you do need to change them, you have to wait until you can order a tool. *The compromise would be to order your timing kit from www.blauparts.com and rent the cam tool. *You have to leave them a deposit (a big one, like $300 I think), but they'll refund it once you return the tool. *That way you don't have to buy something you may not need, and you will have it on hand if you don't. *For what it's worth, on all the jobs our crew has done so far, we have yet to find leaking cam seals. *But as for the timing job itself, just indexing the #3 cylinder to TDC on compression will flat-spot the cams, and you'd have to try to turn them. *In my Nissan days, there was no such setting, and invariably when the engine was indexed, the passenger exhaust cam would spin and you had to be aware of it and know to watch the direction and distance it spun. *That's a nice feature on this car, that it's not an issue.

As for the hydraulic tensioner, definitely get it. *You don't want to skimp on a relatively inexpensive part and then lose your engine if your existing one fails. *Basically what you want to change is the t-belt, all tensioning-related parts and rollers, idler rollers, serpentine and serp tensioner, water pump, thermostat, coolant (get the G12 Audi coolant - pink or purple stuff), and snub mount (the small engine mount at the bottom front of the motor that plugs into the lower crossmember - it gets worn out and will cause excessive fore-aft rocking of the engine). *A stock snub is less than $7, and an upgraded aftermarket urethane snub is anywhere from $35-60 depending on where you buy it and what brand it is. *If you have a manual transmission, it's said to improve shift feel. *With an automatic, it's not recommended due to transmitting extra vibration through the car. *While you're doing all this work, you may as well replace spark plugs (BKR6EUP Bosch plugs work great - .032" gap for a 30v engine, .036" for a 12v engine - available for $2.79 each at Advance Auto Parts), and give it an oil change too.

 

I was looking at renting the tool from Blauparts but in reading it, they have a 7 day limit or something like that before you have to return the tool. Then they deduct $10 a day from your deposit. I can't guarantee I'll make that time limit due to some possible work related travel, so I was looking to buy the tool instead. I know it shouldn't take me near that long but I don't want to feel under the gun either. I've got a second vehicle so I should be able to take my sweet time.


If I get the kit with the tensioner and the cam seals, I may as well change it all, so I'll need the cam locking tool. I saw it on ECS for $180 but that is awfully expensive. If purchased as part of their kit, you pay closer to $130 for it

I've found it here for $105:
http://www.zdmak.com/wbstore/main.as...CTMP=1&LowCt=0

Several places on Ebay for about $115 shipped

And I've found this rental place that doesn't charge you nearly as high of a deposit as Blauparts, doesn't set a time limit, and doesn't require you to buy a timing kit from them in order to rent the tool, pretty good for $40:
http://www.jhmotorsports.com/shop/ca...33757c960bac7c


I'm leaning toward that last rental unless I got a good deal on purchasing one. The problem is that some guys did pay $180 for it and don't want to part with it for much less than that even though they aren't using it. ~shrugs~


G2, how much would you like for your locking tool shipped to 13440?

 

This is just an update on this post for future reference. I went with the rental at JHMotorsports. The entire process was pretty TERRIBLE. Please don't ever use these guys.

First, I ordered the cam locking tool and pin. Well only the bar showed up and not the pin. I called in everyday for a week and left a message about this. Their voicemail always picks up and the message says something like 'leave a message, we return ALL CALLS'. Its said in a way that you can tell a lot of people get annoyed because they never hear back from these guys and complain. Anyway, I did get a call back after a week, but guess what, I didn't hear my phone ring so they left me a message. I called back within 30 minutes and of course there is no way I'm going to get someone on the phone.

I eventually called back there late in the evening East coast time, around 7pm in Cali probably and someone actually picked up. I told them I never got the pin in the box and my sob story about how my car was in a million pieces and I desperatley needed the pin. Two days later I finally got a tracking number via email and a few days after that I finally got the part. I was practically begging these guys to get back to me, wtf.

Ok, so I used everything, went fine. I shipped the bar and pin back to them so I could get my $160 deposit returned to me. After all the awful customer service I got earlier, I wasn't expecting this to go well either. I sent both items back, included a copy of my order sheet so they had the order number and all of my information, got delivery confirmation etc. Sent them an email to say it had arrived at their facility and ask how long it would be to get my deposit back. Eventually got an email in return saying it generally takes about 3 weeks. 3 weeks?!?! Give me a break! Anyway, 5 weeks later, I just got the deposit returned to my credit card account. Unbelievable


So if anyone is searching for info on JH Motorsports, I hope you see this. They have the worst customer service I have experienced in a very long time, maybe ever. Their blatant disregard for their customers is pretty appalling and its really just poor effort all the way around. This stuff isn't that hard, the time for them to bother getting around to helping me is pretty shocking. Please don't support this business

 

That's quite the story...yikes.

FWIW, I still have those tools for sale, if anyone needs them. Otherwise might put them on EBAY one of these days.